


august slipped away

by astoriaamalfoyy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (there's a little angst too oop), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Romantic Fluff, Song: august (Taylor Swift), jily my babes i miss them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astoriaamalfoyy/pseuds/astoriaamalfoyy
Summary: “Hey, need a ride?” “Yeah, that’d be appreciated.”***summer love was a beautiful thing, but it ended so quickly.
Relationships: James Potter/Emmeline Vance (implied), James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Mary Macdonald & Lily Evans Potter (brief)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 35





	august slipped away

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like you could potentially hate me by the end of this?? lily and james are really ooc but this fic is really a form of therapy for me because a year ago today i met someone who was very important to me for a long time but we drifted and i needed to write this to finally let him go (ugh, that was such a personal ramble so IGNORE). anyways, i hope you enjoy this cause actually like this!
> 
> (also, here's a cute lil [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vAboQFHskqrtdKCmaM6SQ?si=g4BUdVmTSti3E5CaCHD79w) to go with the fic!)

Lily’s bookbag hung loose on her shoulders as she walked through the crowded halls. She struggled to find her locker, sticky-note with her new combination held firmly in her hand. 

Her peers were standing around, chatting with friends in reflection of the summer holiday; some went to the beach, some to the mountains, some to the city. Some, like Lily, stayed in the small town of Godric’s Hollow.

She had finally made it to her locker, entering the combination and opening it on her very first try.

“Oi, Evans!” Mary approached her, a binder for first period in arm. “How was your summer?”

“Um, it was good,” replied Lily, absentmindedly getting her materials together. “How was yours? Did you have a good time visiting your family?”

“My summer was terrific! And, of course! Nana’s not getting any younger, you know, so we love seeing her and Granddad whenever we can…” Mary mused, talking a mile a minute. “We should totally have a sleepover or something soon so we can properly catch up! Maybe binge some old seasons of the Bachelor! Ooh, I heard that the new show with the musicians is finally on Hulu…”

Lily wasn’t listening as she closed her locker, jamming her bookbag and cardigan into the tiny shelf on top. She turned, ready to go to first period with Mary when she saw them.

James and Emmeline. Together. Holding hands and smiling. He was looking down at her, while she looked up to him. They had a height difference so many girls would fawn after.

It was when James finally looked up again, away from Emmeline and over her head, that he locked eyes with Lily. In that moment, all the memories came flooding back to her, as though August hadn’t come and passed at all… 

***

James was riding alone on his skateboard, along the cobblestone road. It was pouring outside, thunder and lightning in the near distance.

Lily pulled up to him, hitting the breaks when he halted his skateboard.

“Evans?” he asked. 

“Hey,” she greeted, nervously, “need a ride?”

“Yeah, that’d be appreciated.”

“Okay… Potter, get in,” she unlocked the passenger door and he hopped him, laying his skateboard in the backseat.

“Here,” Lily opened the navigation system on her phone, “put in your address and I’ll hook it up.”

James did as he was told and finished quickly, handing the phone back to her. She synced her phone to her car and started to drive via the directions by the GPS. 

They drove in complete silence, the only noise in the background was Lily’s favorite band on the stereo and the tap of rain against the roof of the car.

Finally, they made it to the Potter residency. 

While she unlocked the door, James ran a hand through his hair, saying, “thank you, Evans. I appreciate the ride, you have no idea.”

Lily just shrugged, turning to him with a soft smile. “It was nothing, no worries.”

“It was something to me,” he added. James opened the car door and made a move to step out when he pulled back and turned to Lily. “Would you want to hang out sometime, Evans?”

She blinked. “Sure… yeah, that’d be fun.”

“Alright,” James grinned, getting out of the car this time, “sounds like a date. See you soon.”

***

“James - James, no!” she screeched as he grabbed her hips and threw her into the freezing lake, the cold water chilling her to the bone instantly.

She brought herself back up to the surface, gasping for air. Lily opened her mouth to say something when James cannonballed into the water, creating a wave to pull her back under.

Lily got to the surface fast this time, moments before James’ resurfaced.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “It’s so - so cold!”

She laughed. “I know right; it’s fucking freezing.”

“Burrr…” he shivered. James grabbed Lily’s hands, bringing him close to her. “Come here, Lily, you’ll keep me warm.”

“No, no, it’ll just make us colder,” she complained, wrapping her arms around his neck when he brought her to his chest.

“Oh, wait,” James said, in fake surprise, “you’re right.”

“I know, I’m always -” began Lily, but was cut off by James placing a hand on the top of her head, dunking her beneath the water. Sure not to drown her, his hand left her head after a few seconds of holding her head under, where her body popped back up.

“I’m - gonna fucking - get you - James Fleamont - Potter!” she spewed, coughing up water. 

Once Lily finally regained control of herself, she jumped on him with a high-pitched battle cry. The two wrestled in the water for a few minutes, laughter in every yelp and joy radiating off of them both. They finished play-fighting when James’ surrendered, after Lily tickled him so much he could hardly breathe.

“Alright, alright, I’m done,” he said, gasping.

“What was that?” demanded Lily with a mischievous grin, tickling under his arms.

“I surrender, goddammit!” yelled James with finality, throwing his arms up. “Happy now, Lily?”

She giggled, “yes, very,  _ very  _ happy.”

“If I kissed you, would you still be happy?”

“Even more so. Kiss me, James.”

So, he did just that, and she kissed him back.

***

Lily was laying on his chest, tracing meaningless patterns on his arms. Meanwhile, James was stroking her fiery hair, twirling strands of curls in his fingers.

“You know,” she whispered, “we should probably do what I came here to do - work on our summer assignments. Professor McGonagall will be mad if we don’t complete  _ The Iliad  _ and analyze it. She said it’s due the day we return from holiday and that she won’t accept late -”

“Shh,” James put a finger to her lips, silencing her. “Chill; we still have three weeks before we go back to school. That gives us more than enough time to read that hella long epic and write a paper on it, while still having time with one another.”

She blew her bangs out of her green eyes, so she could meet his hazel ones. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Woah, first time you’ve ever admitted someone else is right, Lils?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No it is not,” replied Lily. “It’s just the first and last time I will ever admit that you  _ were  _ right.”

“Wow, nice,” he nodded, “I feel so loved.”

She hit his chest, playfully.

“Now, an act of violence against me. I don’t know what’s come over you -” he started but was interrupted by Lily, who pulled him in for a kiss; that was always a sure-fire way to quiet James down.

“What would you say if I said I loved you?” Lily asked, playing with her freshly painted fingernails.

“I would say that I love you too,” James’ mouth opened, but his speech didn’t falter.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

Lily was driving up James’ street when she saw Emmeline’s car parked in James’ lawn. 

Close to her parked SUV, Emmeline sat on the grass, James next to her. His arms were wrapped around her small frame and she was tucked into his side. 

They were laughing about something; Lily could tell by the way James’ head was tipped back and his mouth was in a huge grin.

Discreetly, she drove into a neighbor’s driveway, turning around to drive home. 

Lily would confront him later, ask him about Emmeline. She would ask about where they stood - him and herself - about their relationship. She would ask if Emmeline knew what happened over the summer or if it was just a mere fling to him.

Lily promised she would call him to ask him all her questions. But by the time she made it home, she had already deleted his number and was sobbing so much she could hardly see straight in front of her. 

***

Lily pulled her gaze away from James’. She couldn’t bear to look at him any longer, after seeing him with Emmeline - it broke her in a way she never thought she could be broken.

That summer, while Emmeline was away, James seemed like Lily’s and Lily seemed like James’. It was although they belonged to one another, fated to be together despite past differences and competition while in school. 

June came and passed, along with July, in a swift motion. At the beginning of the month, August seemed like it would last forever… but it didn’t. It ended almost as quickly as it started. Now, they were back at school and hadn’t spoken since Emmeline returned a week previous. 

It was as though their brief history hadn't existed at all.

Lily turned on her heel and stalked down the opposite side of the hallway, away from James and Emmeline. Tears filled her eyes but she tried to ignore it.

James was never Lily’s, not even during the summer they had spent together in bliss.

**Author's Note:**

> if you want, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated and truly make my day. if not, i hope you have a great day and enjoyed the fic!
> 
> check me out on [tumblr!](https://emptysatellite.tumblr.com/)


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